Appearances Can Be Decieving
by EliteDragonSlayer
Summary: Duo Quatre and Heero enroll in a school for a mission. A few months later a girl their age enrolls as well. Duo instantly likes her and tries to befriend her; Heero suspects there's more to this girl then meets the eye. To every one's surprise, he's right
1. Introduction to Suspicion

Duo leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk and closing his eyes. This had to be the worst school he was enrolled in yet. *There's no basketball team, the teachers have no idea what they're talking about, and worst of all, all the cute girls are taken!! I hope this mission's worth it.* He yawned, stretching.   
  
"Mr. Maxwell!! Pay attention!" The order startled him, causing him to fall off his chair. The class burst out laughing as he layed there, dazed. He got to his knees as the teacher started to talk again. "Class, we have a new student from L2 joining us. What did you say your name was?" There was silence as Duo started to brush off his pants, then a quiet but strong voice spoke.   
  
"Raksha Drusian." Duo looked up and spotted the speaker at the front of the class. It was a red haired girl around his age with green eyes locked on him, a small grin on her face. He blushed and stood, picking up his chair.   
  
"Well, choose a seat and let's continue with the lesson." Raksha walked down the aisle between desks and sat down behind Duo.   
  
The braided pilot sat down, and realized that Raksha was staring at him. He blew out a quiet breath. *This is going to be a long class.*  
  
  
  
  
Later that day, during lunch break, Duo was talking with Quatre and Heero was writing something in a notebook when Duo looked up at the sound of a raised voice and saw Raksha snapping at a large teenage boy who was holding her by the arm. The boy shoved her books out of her hands and dragged her into the halls. Duo stood up, ignoring Quatre's questioning look, then raised his eyebrows when Raksha walked back into the cafeteria, rubbing her left hand and walking over to where her books were in a pile.   
  
Through the open door, Duo caught a glimpse of the bully laying in a heap, groaning. Stunned, Duo sat down, staring at Raksha as she walked out the doors.  
  
"Duo?" Quatre prodded, snapping him out of his stare.  
  
"Raksha just smacked down one of the largest bullies by herself in seconds."  
  
"What?" Quatre stood up and looked over to where a crowd was gathering, catching sight of one of the teachers helping the boy up. Heero looked over as well, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, then returned his attention back to his book.  
  
  
  
That night, Duo was headed for his dorm but stopped when he saw Raksha leaning over a beautiful motorcycle. After a moment, he walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and turned to face Duo, a wrench aimed at him. Raksha lowered the wrench, her eyes narrowed.  
  
"What do you want?" Duo raised his eyebrows at this question.  
  
"What do you mean? I just came over to talk to you." A startled look came over her, and she raised the wrench again.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"First off, where'd you learn to fight? I saw your little argument with that oversized jerk." She lowered the wrench again and unconciously rubbed her left hand, looking down at the   
motorcycle.  
  
"I picked it up as I traveled around." Duo had a feeling she didn't want to talk about it, so he changed the subject.  
  
"That your bike?" She nodded, running a hand over the royal blue morotcycle. "It's beautiful. 650 Honda?" She grinned slightly.  
  
"I see you know your bikes." She started working on the engine again, then looked up. "I'm sorry for almost hitting you with the wrench. Reflexes."  
  
"So it's a reflex for you to try and knock someone upside the head with a wrench if they touch your shoulder?" He asked, his trademark grin in place. She paused, then looked down at the motor.  
  
"It has been lately." Duo was thrown off balance at the slightly depressed tone in her voice. It made him look up at her from his examination of the motor. He caught sight of her left hand, and grabbed hold of it gently when he saw the large bruise spread over the top.   
  
"And this is where you punched that idiot who was pushing you around this afternoon, isn't it?" She pulled her hand out of his quickly, nodding again. "Does it hurt?"  
  
"Not badly. Just when I hit it on something." She put the wrench back in the toolbox   
beside the bike and pulled out a rag to wipe away some oil, then grabbed a wratchet and went back   
to work on the engine. She finished and closed the engine, then looked up at Duo. "Listen, I don't know how to say this without being rude, so I'll just say it." She put the wratchet away and picked up the toolbox. "I'm not looking for any friends, I don't want any friends, and we can't be friends. So, please. Leave me alone." She then turned and left for her dorm, leaving a staggered Duo standing in   
the school parking lot.   
  
  
  
Duo closed the door behind him as he entered his dorm, looking around the room. Quatre was tuning his violen and Heero was on his lap top as usual. Quatre looked up at him and saw instantly that he was troubled about something.  
  
"Duo, you okay?" Duo looked over at the blonde Arabian.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Heero looked up at the distant tone in his voice. Duo walked past the two into the bathroom and turned on the shower, closing the door and locking it with a quick and hard snap.  
  
"I wonder what's bothering him." Quatre wondered, turning back to his violen. *I know.* Heero thought, rotating the camera view on his screen so he could watch Raksha start up the bike and leave. *Why did she tell Duo to leave her alone? There's something about that girl that I don't like.* He stopped hacking into the school system and turned away from the lap top. *Duo shouldn't be making friends with people like her anyway. Or anyone for that matter.* He turned off the lap top and layed down on his bed, staring up at the celing and thinking.  
  
  
Duo sighed as he wiped the steam off the mirrior, studying his reflection in it. *What was that all about? Why wouldn't she want any friends?* He picked up a brush and started to straighten his hair out. *Heero's the only one I know who doesn't want anything to do with other people. Well, Wu-bear too, at first, but Sally starightened that out. And at least Heero can tolerate a few people.*   
  
He then started to braid his hair. *She was so jumpy, and I could detect some fading bruises on her face and arms. She was probably beaten by someone, maybe a parent. That would explain why her first reaction when I startled her was to defend. But she didn't seem to be the type who allows herself to be used as a human punching bag.* He tossed his braid over his shoulder and walked out of the room in nothing except a towel around his waist.   
  
Duo walked over to a dresser and pulled some boxers and cloth pants out then headed back into the bathroom, closing the door and getting dressed. *Maybe she's a fighter.*  
  
The American stepped out into the dorm's bedroom and sat down on his bed, grabbing the remote for the T.V. and turning it on.  
  
  
Raksha usually enjoyed the feeling of racing along the road at night on her bike, but tonight......tonight it just wasn't as satisfying. Her mind was too clouded. *That Maxwell. What was he doing, trying to act all buddy-buddy with me? Damnit, why can't I get him out of my head?!* She cursed, pulled over to the side of the road and turned the bike off. She ripped the black helmet off, tossing her red hair over her shoulder and looking up at the cresent moon. A forlorn sigh escaped her lips and she leaned forward on her handlebars.  
  
"I wonder...." She stopped in midsentance as she heard some bushes snap behind her. Pulling out a Colt .45, she turned and aimed the gun at where she'd heard the noise. After a few seconds, a sleek black kitten slipped out of the bushes and up to her feet, sitting down and looking up at her.   
  
Putting the gun away, Raksha turned and got back on her bike. She was about to start the motor when a pitiful meow drifted up to her ears. Turning, she saw the kitten curled around her feet, meowing quietly. "Go home. Get out of here." The kitten sat down beside her boot and looked up at her, gold eyes shining. A single cry left the kitten's mouth, and Raksha melted slightly.   
  
Bending down, she picked up the tiny cat, holding the little body against hers. The kitten slipped into her long coat, then poked it's small, furry head out of the collar, soaking up Raksha's body heat. Raksha grinned faintly, then turned on the motor and headed back for the school.  
  
  
  
Cutting the motor, she coasted into the parking lot of the school, parking the bike and getting off. Raksha then checked on the kitten, who was asleep in her jacket. Pulling her helmet off, she headed for her dorm room, slipping in and closing the door. Thanking God when she saw her roommates were asleep, she pulled her light trench coat off, layed the kitten on her bed, and   
changed into her pyjamas. She then climbed into bed and fell asleep with the kitten curled into her stomach.  
  
  
Raksha woke up, the kitten still beside her, and sat up, yawning. She jumped and fell out of the bed at the sound of a large squeal. Getting to her knees and leaning against the bed, she watched as one of her roommates scooped up the black kitten, cuddling it.  
  
"Where in the world did you find such a cute kitten?!" The girl asked, looking down at her as she scratched the kitten's chin.  
  
"Actually, it found me." Raksha got to her feet and got the terrified kitten back. The poor thing was trembling badly, but calmed down soon and sat on Raksha's shoulder as she got ready for school.   
  
  
Duo drummed his fingers against the desk, glaring at the teacher at the front of the room. *This is so deja vu.* He thought bitterly, ready to fall asleep at the teacher's montotonus voice. He could hear the person behind him writing something. *I wonder what Raksha's working on.* Duo felt himself starting to drift off, and his head started to lower towards the desk.  
  
He felt a sharp throb in the back of his head and bolted up, rubbing his head, and turned to see Raksha grinning, a pencil in her hand. "Wake up, Maxwell." She hissed. Duo was about to answer her when the teacher snapped at him to turn around and pay attention.  
  
"Mr. Maxwell, that's it. Go to the principal's office. I will deal with you later!" Duo just rolled his eyes and gathered his books, thankful to get out of there.  
  
  
  
Sitting in the secretary's office, waiting to be yelled at, was a very familiar scene to Duo. He had been only going to this school for a few months and he'd been in here more then he'd been in class. But for once, there wasn't the annoying clacking of keys anymore since the secretary was out to lunch.   
  
Stretching with a yawn, he jumped as a loud yell echoed through the hall. A few minutes later, Raksha stumbled into the room with blood rolling from the corner of her mouth, a teacher behind her.  
  
"Where's the secretary?" The teacher demanded.  
  
"Lunch." The teacher shoved Raksha into a chair.  
  
"Don't you dare leave that chair until the principal comes in and deals with you." She snapped at her. Raksha just crossed her arms and glared at the floor. The teacher glanced at Duo, then left.  
  
"What happened?" Duo asked. Raksha rolled her eyes.  
  
"Some idiot jock was mad at me because the guy I punched was his buddy, so he started slipping me some threat notes. I ignored them, but then he started throwing disgusting ones, and I got mad. I stood up and punched him in the jaw, but I guess he was stronger then his friend since he only staggered. When he got his balance, he smacked me across the face and punched me back. I got even more mad and rammed him, then started pounding his face with my fists. By the time they got me off him, he wasn't fighting back." She muttered, wiping the blood off her chin. Duo grinned.  
  
"That sounds like you came in contact with Kento. Very big asshole. I speak from experiance." She grinned, still staring down at the floor. Just then, the secretary walked in, sighing when she saw Duo sitting there, grinning at her.  
  
"Back again, Maxwell?"  
  
"What can I say, Mrs. Carver? I just can't get enough of your pretty face." The secretary laughed bitterly, then noticed Raksha as the old woman sat down at her desk.  
  
"What are you here for, dear?" Raksha cringed at the 'dear'.  
  
"Got in a fight." She answered quickly, blushing at the stare she was recieving. The old woman looked startled.  
  
"Oh, sweetie, what's a little girl like you doing getting in a fight? That sounds more like something Duo would do." Duo stopped laughing as he choked in surprised and blushed, pulling out a chuckle from both of the women. Raksha then laughed for the first time since she'd gotten here.   
  
"Well, dear. I'll let you go with a warning this time, but a pretty girl like you should not be fighting. Don't do it again, alright, honey?" Raksha nodded, plastering on a fake smile and wishing she could smack off the grin that had come back on Duo's face.  
  
"Yes ma'am." Raksha left, muttering to herself, and headed for the parking lot to go for a ride on her bike, deciding to cut class. 


	2. The Sixth Pilot

Raksha had just turned her bike on (the kitten inside her jacket again) and was about to leave when she saw Duo come running out of the building in her direction.  
  
"Hey!! Raksha! Wait!!!" She sighed and turned the motor off, then sat up, pulling off her helmet.  
  
"What is it Duo?" He came to a stop, panting, then noticed the bulge in her jacket.  
  
"What is that?" She pulled the kitten out and Duo cried out happily as he gently took it from her.  
  
"Oh, isn't it cute?!" She expected the kitten to be terrified again, but to her surprise, the kitten started purring as Duo scratched it under the chin. He handed it back to her after a while. "So where are you going? Class is still in session."  
  
"I'm just going for a ride. I'll be back before lunch." She muttered, slipping the kitten back inside her coat, where it sat purring.  
  
"Hey, can I go with you?" She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Don't you have classes?"  
  
"You're not the only one who skips every now and then." He teased.   
  
"You got a bike?" Duo grinned.  
  
"Hang on." He ran out of sight, and a few minutes later, Duo peeled around the corner on a black 750 Yamaha Virago[1]. Pulling of his helmet, he grinned at her. "Yeah, I got one." Raksha shook her head, slipped her helmet on at the same time as Duo did, and the two of them left.  
  
  
Duo sped along the road behind her, wondering where they were going. They'd been riding for a good 40 minutes without stopping. *I wonder where we're going.* Raksha suddenly swung the back wheel forward, skidding to a stop. Duo stopped his bike and flipped his visor up, watching as she pulled off her own helmet, shaking her red mane of hair back. "Where are we?"   
  
"A little place I found last night." She answered, putting down her kickstand and getting off. Duo followed suit and sat his helmet on his bikeseat, following her as she walked into the woods on the side of the road.   
  
"Raksha?" He asked as they walked deeper into the woods. "Where are you-" He stopped as he saw where they were. Raksha stood on the edge of a huge lake, grinning proudly as she looked around. Vast woods surrounded them on all sides and mountains were in the distance. The lake was a royal blue, with a small island the size of the school and it's parking lot combined in the middle.   
  
Duo stumbled forward a few more steps until he was standing beside Raksha.   
  
"I figured that island would be a good place to build a little cabin for summer." She told him quietly, staring out at the piece of land she planned on buying. He nodded, studying the beautiful view. "Hey, it's almost lunch. We'd better head back." Duo sighed and turned, following her as she led them out of the woods.  
  
When they reached their bikes, Duo paused before he pulled his helmet on.  
  
"Hey, Raksha?" She flipped her visor up and looked at him. "If you're going to build that cabin, I, I'd like to help." She seemed surprised, then smiled.  
  
"I'll think about it. Thanks." He grinned for the hunderdth time today.   
  
"No problem." She pulled down her visor, Duo put on his helmet, and they both turned on their bikes in unison. They then headed back for school.  
  
  
  
Duo walked into his dorm in a very good mood and tossed his helmet onto his bed. To his surprise, Heero stood up from his spot at the desk and walked over to him.  
  
"Where did you and Raksha go?"  
  
"Just for a ride."  
  
"Duo, I think you should stay away from Raksha from now on."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"There's something about her I don't like. She's more then she seems."  
  
"Heero. You're just being paranoid. There's nothing wrong with Raksha."  
  
"Duo-" Duo held up his hand, shaking his head.   
  
"Heero, relax. Raksha can't be anything that I can't handle." Heero frowned and sat down at the desk as Duo walked into the kitchen, grabbing a soda.   
  
  
  
The next day, Duo walked outside to see Raksha revving her bike. "Hey!! Raksha!" She looked over at him, snapped,  
  
"Not this time Duo!!! Just stay here!!!" and left, leaving a stunned Duo in her wake.   
  
"Where's she going?" He instantly ran and got on his own bike, following Raksha out.  
  
  
  
Raksha pulled to a stop by a large mountain and got off, running through the field until she reached the base of the mountain and started to scale it.  
  
  
  
Duo found her bike parked at the side of the road. Pulling his helmet off, he spotted a path made through the tall weeds and grinned. *So that's where you went.* Setting his helmet on his seat, he followed the path made until he reached the mountain and started to climb.  
  
When he reached a ledge, his skilled eyes noticed the shine of something metallic. His curiosity peaked, he started to climb again. Reaching where he saw the metal, he discovered the edge of a net. Pulling it back, he nearly fell off his perch at the sight of a very familiar face. "A gundam...." Grasping the edge of the net, he jumped down, hauling the net down and uncovering the gundam. The giant was modeled practically identical to his own Deathsythe, except it was red and black and had 2 heat sabers on the back instead of a sythe, an energy cannon on the left arm, and a machine gun on the right arm. "Wow......it's absolutely beautiful." Getting excited, he climbed up and opened the chest, climbing in.   
  
He was about to sit down when he heard a gun being cocked. Turning slowly, he faced the barrel of a Colt .45, and a royaly ticked Raksha.  
  
"I thought I told you to stay at the school."  
  
"Raksha-"   
  
"You can't a hint, can you? I told you, I don't want any friends."  
  
"But the bike ride-"  
  
"It was the only way to shut you up. And since you couldn't keep your nose out of my buisness, I'm going to have to kill you."  
  
"You mean....this is your gundam."  
  
"The boy's fast!" She snapped, glaring.  
  
"It's fashioned alot like mine." Her eyes widened.  
  
"You fly the Deathsythe." She hissed.  
  
"Your fast as well. How'd you figure it out?"  
  
"Simple. My Shadowblade is fashioned after your Deathsythe. Too bad the Deathsythe will soon need a new pilot. I can't let anyone know about Shadowblade."  
  
Both of them moved quickly. Raksha fired the gun and Duo dodged it, swung his arm around and grabbed her wrist, pushing the gun away from him. She hooked her leg in behind his, tripping him and sending the two of them rolling out of the suit and down to the ledge the Shadowblade was sitting on. When they reached the bottom, Duo was pinned down by Raksha. She grinned, then realized she lost the gun. Glancing behind her, she saw it laying six feet away. Raksha got off Duo and lunged for it, but Duo pulled out his own gun and shot hers out of the way. She swore at him and kicked him in the kneecap, making him collapse to one knee.  
  
Grasping the gun, she turned and aimed it at Duo, but froze, because he was aiming his as well.  
  
"If you shoot me, you'll be killed as well, so let's stop." Duo reasoned.  
  
"I'll take that risk!!!" Raksha pulled the trigger.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
[1] That's my alltime favorite bike, I just HAD to give it to Duo! ^_~ 


	3. Traitorous Ally

It was Duo's fondness for women that had him dodging the bullet instead of pulling the trigger. The metal object still hit him, sinking into his right arm.  
  
Swearing, he looked over at her, then rolled out of the way as she started to fire the gun at him again. Duo stopped and sat up when she ran out of bullets. A grim look on his face, he raised the gun and aimed it at her.  
  
"Now then." He snapped, getting up and wincing as his arm started to hurt again. "Why don't we take a little ride?" She glared at him, but gave up temporarily. Climbing back up into the gundam, Raksha sat down in the seat and Duo stood beside her. She started the giant beast and Duo told her where to fly. Noticing the gun was still pointed at her, she realized she had no choice and flew to the west.  
  
  
  
Duo told Raksha to stop, and she landed beside a mountain wall.  
  
"THIS is where you keep your gundam?" She asked skeptically. Duo grinned, nodding, then reached over the controls and hit a few buttons. A few minutes later, a blonde boy came up on the screen.  
  
"Duo!! Where are you?"  
  
"Relax, Quatre. I'm right outside. And I've got a little surprise." Quatre looked confused, but shrugged and disappeared from view. To Raksha's shock, the entire side of the mountain slid apart and Duo walked in. He opened the chest and stepped out. Raksha didn't move from where she was; she only watched.  
  
Quatre ran into view along with a brown haired boy who had a very cold look on his face.  
  
"Duo!! What tok you so-" Quatre froze in midsentance as he saw the gundam. "DUO!!! WHERE'D YOU FIND THAT GUNDAM?!!?" Quatre all but shrieked. Duo grinned, then motioned for Raksha to come out. She got up, planning on taking off at the first chance she saw. Duo must have sensed her intentions though because he grabbed her arm and held her close beside him.  
  
"It's hers." He answered, grinning at the shocked look on Quatre's face. Heero just stared at Raksha. *I knew it. I knew there was something about her.* Raksha tried to pull her arm out of Duo's grasp, but he held on tightly, so all she ended up doing was making a fool of herself.   
  
"Duo, you're bleeding!" Quatre said suddenly. Duo had forgotten about his arm, and started to feel it again.  
  
"We had a little spar before we came here." Duo said, glancing at Raksha out of the corner of his eye. She blushed slightly and looked away.  
  
"Well, come down here and get it looked at." Quatre demanded gently. Duo and Raksha jumped down to the floor of the hidden cave.  
  
"I'll put the gundam with ours." Heero muttered, climbing up into the cockpit. Raksha stopped, watching Heero with a worried look. Duo was still holding onto her arm, so when she stopped, she jerked him back, causing him to stumble.   
  
"Don't worry, Raksha, Shadowblade's in good hands." Duo reassured her, wincing as his other arm now started to hurt as well. She sighed, then reluctantly followed Duo deeper into the cave, glancing back a few more times.  
  
  
Heero studied the controls of the Shadowblade, amazed at how advanced they were. Once he figured out how to work the suit, he moved it over to where the others gundams were stored. Heero climbed out of the gundam and looked up at the giant.  
  
"Amazing machine. But what side is it on?" He looked over at the tunnel leading to the underground safehouse. "Is she with Oz?"  
  
  
  
Raksha sat at a table, staring down at her gun as she cleaned it. Duo was sitting beside her, cleaning his own, and three other teenage boys were in the room as well. She recognized Quatre, but not the boy sitting beside him, or the black haired boy who was shining a sword. Raksha returned her attention back to her gun.  
  
After a moment, she looked up at the sound of music and saw Quatre had gotten up and was now playing his violen. She watched him, then turned and watched the boy that was sitting beside Quatre get up and grab a flute, then start to play with Quatre. A small smile flickered at her mouth and she didn't realize that Duo was watching her.  
  
"They make a good duet, don't they?" He asked quietly. She jumped, then blushed.  
  
"Yeah, they do." He wished that he hadn't said anything; he'd enjoyed the way she looked when she smiled. And now he'd made it vanish once again as she focused on putting her gun back together.  
  
All of them jumped as Heero's lap top went off with the warning of an incoming email and Heero ran in, sliding to a stop in front of the beeping machine. He punched in a few buttons, then read the email.  
  
"Guys, we got a new mission. Duo and I are to head to L2, Wufie is to head to L3, and Quatre and Trowa are to head to L1. Also Dr. J said that he'd like to examine the 6th gundam."  
  
"How'd he find out about it already?" Duo asked.  
  
"I emailed him after I stored Raksha's gundam." Heero answered, jerking on his jacket. "So that means," He added, looking at Raksha. "That you stay here." She only glared at him as the 5 left. Once she heard the gundams take off, she dove in front of the lap top and turned off the email server, then began hacking into some files.  
  
"Let's see what we have here." She easily broke through the foolish security system built around the files, though it took a while. *Damn Heero Yuy* She thought bitterly and skimmed through several of the files stored in the lap top until she found what she was looking for. "Got them." She hit print, thankful for the advanced version of the laptop (with the built in printer) and grabbed the blueprints to all the gundams as they came out. Running out to her own gundam, she climbed into it and got out a silver colored briefcase.   
  
Jumping down, she got to her knees and opened the case, then slid back a panel on the inner wall, hit a button, and the bottom of the briefcase rose up. Raksha slid her hand under the false bottom and hit another button, and the false bottom split open. Slipping the blueprints inside the false bottom and resealing it back together, she hit the button to close the false bottom, then slid the panel closed, shut her briefcase and locked it. (A/N: That's alot of secret compartments!!)   
  
Raksha then picked up the briefcase and walked back into the safehouse. She sat the briefcase down by the laptop and turned on the internet. She then typed in an address, and sat there waiting.   
  
After a moment, the face of a blonde male with a mask on came up on a video screen.  
  
"Ah, Miss Drusian. So nice to see your face again." She narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Cut it out, Zechs. Do you have my money?"  
  
"That depends. Do you have the files?" She smirked.  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"I think you're enjoying yourself."  
  
"Please, you insult me. Enjoy hanging around these boys?" She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "My money had better be ready in 1 day. That freak Dr. J wants to examine my gundam, so I'm stuck here until tomorrow."   
  
"Why don't you just email them to me and I can send one of my men to give you your money?" Raksha laughed, but not the warm laugh she'd shared in the secretary's office. This one was ice cold.  
  
"And have you rip me off?" She stopped laughing and her face instantly grew cold. "You get my 50 million ready in one day, or I'll hand over to Dr. J the blue prints to your so called "secret weapon". Got it?" The image of Zechs grinned.  
  
"I should hire you to do my dirty work more often. And by the way, thank you for giving us the email address to Yuy's computer." With that said, he disappeared and Raksha closed the laptop. She then got up and walked over to the wall and opened a hidden panel she'd discovered when on the blueprints for the base. Pressing a red button, she watched as all the hidden cameras slid into view and removed the tapes out of all of them. Sliding the now empty cameras back into their original hiding spots, she went into the storage room to bring Dr. J her gundam.  
  
  
  
Heero had a few suspicions as he flew to L2. *Raksha should not have been left alone at the base.* Duo suddenly came up on the screen.   
  
"Bad news, Hee-chan." Heero supressed a growl at the nickname.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"You know that email that Dr. J sent?" Heero nodded. "He didn't send it. I was just talking to him, asking him what he wanted us to do." Heero's breath caught in his throat.  
  
"Then who sent-" He stopped as he answered his own question. "Oz. Duo, tell the others to get back to the Earth as soon as possible."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Back." was all he said, before he turned the Wing Zero around and left. Duo cursed, then called up the others on the screen.  
  
"Guess what guys?"  
  
  
  
Heero landed at the base, stored his gundam and leapt out, running into the safe house.  
  
  
Raksha was almost done what she was doing when she heard the door slam. Standing, she looked behind her. No one was in the room, but she knew better then that. Someone was in here with her. She slid something into a pocket of her jacket, and pulled out her gun, but froze when she felt the barrel of someone else's gun pressed to her temple.  
  
"Give me that gun." A familiar voice hissed. She sighed and handed her gun to Heero. "What did you put in your pocket?" She reached into her pocket and handed him the papers, which he opened and read. Written on them were directions, and he realized they went from the school to the safehouse. "You're showing someone where we are." He hissed, and pressed the gun harder against her head until she fell to a sitting position on the couch. "You're working for Oz." A smile started to tug at her face, and soon she launched into a full blown laugh until her sides hurt. "What is so funny?" She managed to somehow calm down.  
  
"You think I'm working for the very people who are hunting me down? Oh, my god,   
that's funny. I-I'm sorry, but..." She burst out laughing again and Heero was getting fed up. He shoved the barrel up against her temple again, and she stopped laughing, he lip still trembling from the effort   
to stop. His hand dove into a different pocket and came out with something that made her stop laughing completely.  
  
"What's this?" He asked slyly, unfolding it. She knew that if she tried to snatch it back, he'd pull the trigger, so she just sat there and tried to think of a way to get out of this mess. He looked over the paper, then down at her. "Seems the people that are hunting you down are offering a very nice reward for the blueprints of out gundams. Where are they?" She jumped as the door slammed open and Duo barreled in, the others trailing behind him.  
  
"Heero!! What the hell are you doing?!"  
  
"I just caught us a little spy." 


	4. Faith Restored?

"What are you talking about, Heero?"  
  
"I'm saying that Raksha is part of Oz, and was about to tell them where we are. She also has the blueprints to our gundams and was going to give Oz them as well." Heero explained. Duo stared at Raksha, hurt and confusion written all over his face.  
  
Raksha glanced over at Duo, then at the others. All of them except for Quatre looked extremely mad. Quatre had the same expression that Duo had. She felt Heero stand her up and she was dragged into the hanger.  
  
Duo followed, stunned. *She was conspiring against us this entire time?* He watched Heero push her through the door, still holding on tightly to her arm. She stumbled to a stop, and Heero turned her so she was facing him. "Now you give us those blue prints." She smirked and handed him the briefcase. Heero tossed Wufie the gun and pushed Raksha towards him, studied the briefcase, then pressed his ear against the lock and turned the dial until it clicked and opened.  
  
Duo watched Heero as he looked through the contents of the briefcase and came up with nothing.   
  
"You see? She doesn't have them. She-" Heero held up a hand to silence him and slid the hidden panel out of the way, hit the button and watched the false bottom lift up. Duo's hopes sank immediantly. Heero searched through the second compartment, and again, came up with nothing.   
After a moment of thinking, he closed the false bottom and shut the briefcase, then looked up at the others.   
  
"Nothing." Raksha struggled in Wufie's grip, glaring at Heero.  
  
"Now do you believe me?! I had that message in my pocket because I wrote it down after tapping into one of Oz's communication lines. I was going to show you guys when you got back, but Heero jumped to conclusions before I could explain." She looked around the room, looking at all the faces. Trowa and Heero seemed undecided about whether of not to believe her, but Duo and Quatre looked hopeful.  
  
"See Heero? It was just a misunderstanding." Quatre said, placing a hand on the Japanese pilot's shoulder. Heero stared at Raksha with cold eyes, then turned away.   
  
"Let her go, Wufie." He muttered, pulling his jacket off. The Chinese boy hesitated, then shoved Raksha away from him, tossing Heero back his gun. Raksha snagged her briefcase from Heero and stalked off to the Shadowblade. Duo looked at the others, then followed her.  
  
  
Raksha tossed her briefcase into her gundam, then froze as Duo came running down the hall.  
  
"Raksha! Where are you going?"  
  
"I don't know. But the trust factor here isn't exactly the best in my favor. Especially now."  
  
"Raksha, I trust you, and Quatre does. And I'm always going to be here to help you, if you need it."  
  
"I appreaciate that, Duo, but I'm still leaving." She called, jumping into the seat and strapping herself in. "But you're still going to help me with that cabin, aren't you?" She asked as the gundam closed. Duo grinned slightly, nodding, but his eyes still showed his sadness. Turning on the gundam, she glanced down at Duo, then left the safehouse, trying to keep the disappointed look Duo had on out of her mind, stroking the purring kitten in her lap.  
  
  
A few hours later, Raksha landed at the Oz base where Zechs was staying. She jumped down out of the Shadowblade just as Zechs came walking out.  
  
"Raksha. I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow."  
  
"How else would I find out whether or not you had my money ready?" The blonde grinned, then beckoned forward one of his men. The man dumped two briefcases at Raksha's feet, and she tossed some papers at Zechs, which he easily caught. She then climbed back into the Shadowblade and took off, sending a cloud of the dust from the desert flying at them.   
  
Once the dust died down, Zechs opened the papers.   
  
"Finally, we have the blueprints and can build our own...." He trailed off as he read the only thing written on the papers.  
  
  
Sorry, Zechs. Changed my mind.  
  
  
"Stupid, two timing brat!!" Zechs crumpled the paper and glared at the disappearing gundam.  
  
  
Raksha was laughing harder then she'd ever laughed in her entire life. She now possessed 50 million dollars. Hearing the roar of engines, she turned and grinned when she saw several Aries and Leos following her.  
  
"Looks like Zechs didn't find it as funny as I did." She laughed again and turned around, facing the mobile suits. Raksha took careful aim with her cannon and blew away over half of the suits. A slightly evil grin over came her and she lifted her other arm, tearing apart even more of the suits.   
One snuck up on her and she turned, caught him attacking and pulled out one of her sabers, slicing   
him in half. Turning back to the remaining suits, she grinned as they turned to run and aimed her cannon.  
  
  
  
Zechs sat in his office, thinking. *That Raksha's more clever then I thought. I need to get her to join Oz.* He looked over as the door opened and one of his men came in.  
  
"Sir, 20 Aries and 14 Leos have just been destroyed by a gundam."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The.....the 6th gundam, sir."   
  
"By itself?"  
  
"Yes sir." *Raksha. I definiately have to convince her to join.*   
  
  
  
  
A few days later, Duo, Wufie and Heero were on another mission and were currently in a large mall, making sure they seemed like normal teens. Duo was having a blast, Heero had grown used to it, but Wufie was at the end of his patience.  
  
"I could be out training right now." He muttered for the 100th time that day. Duo just rolled his eyes and drank from his soda.  
  
"Oh, relax Wu-man. We're supposed to be having fun right now!" He set his drink down and looked through the bags he held.  
  
"Duo, I have a question." Heero asked suddenly. Duo seemed surprised; Heero had remained silent almost all day.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Isn't it the female sex that walks through a mall with 5 or 6 bags?" Duo blushed, grinning.  
  
"I'm impulsive. And I need some things fill my dorm with. It's too plain." Wufie just rolled his eyes. Heero sighed and pushed away his empty bowl of rice.  
  
"If you guys have finished arguing, I'd like to get going." Duo threw out his empty fench fry dish and stood up with his soda still in his hand.  
  
"Can we stop by the jewellery store?" Wufie looked at him.  
  
"Why?!" Wufie demanded. Duo blushed again.  
  
"Well, I saw a nice crucifix there, and the 6th is coming up soon...." He trailed off, a sad look coming over his face. The others instantly understood. Every year, on the date that the Maxwell church was destroyed, Duo would buy a crucifix, wrap it around a bouquet of white roses, and lay it between the graves of Father Maxwell and Sister Helen.  
  
"Of course we can, Duo." Heero said, standing. The others got up as well and Duo led the way to the jewellery department.  
  
  
Heero and Wufie were waiting outside the store while Duo looked for the crucifix he saw.  
  
"Oh, no. They didn't already sell it, did they?" He scoured through the shelves, then finally found it. It ended up being the last crucifix in the entire store. "How much is it?" He lifted it off the maniquin's neck and read the tag. "$900??? I can't afford that! I've only got $250!!" He sighed and turned to go, then froze when he heard someone say,  
  
"No, it's too big. I want just a simple one." He looked over his shoulder, a grin on his face.  
  
"Raksha?" She lifted her head, a surprised look on her face.  
  
"Duo?" Raksha turned back to the clerk. "I'll take that one." She said, pointing to a simple gold chain. "What are you doing in here, Duo?" She asked as the clerk reached for a bag. "No, I'll wear it out, thanks."  
  
"I came here to buy that crucifix, but it's too much. I already spent most of my money."  
  
"This one?" She asked, lifting it up.  
  
"Yeah." A small grin on her face, she walked over to the counter, and, right in front of Duo's stunned eyes, bought the cross. Raksha then handed the cross to Duo.  
  
"Raksha..." He stared down at the charm, then up at Raksha. "I..Thanks, this means alot to me, but why did you just spend 900 dollars on me?"  
  
"Because you were the only one who believed me when Heero accused me of being a traitor. No one's ever stood up for me before, and I wanted to show you how much I appreaciate it." Duo bit his lip, then threw his arms around Raksha, holding her tightly in a hug.   
  
Raksha stiffened in surprise; she looked down at the American holding her as if she were a lifeline. After a moment, she returned the hug.  
  
"Thank you, Raksha." He said, pulling away. A blush overtook her face.  
  
"No problem." They stood there for a moment, a blush on both of their faces at how close they were. Raksha realized Duo's mouth was slowly drifting closer and swallowed hard. They were mere inches apart when someone called Duo's name.  
  
"Duo!! Come on, we gotta go!!" Wufie called. Duo and Raksha instantly pulled away, their blushes growing deeper.  
  
"Raksha, I'm sorry, I-"  
  
"It's alright." She grinned gently, then left.  
  
  
  
Duo walked out of the store, joining the group outside the store.  
  
"Did you get it?" Wufie asked. Duo nodded, staring down at it. "Good, we can go now." Duo nodded and followed them out of the store and back into the food court.  
  
  
  
Raksha stood in an electronics store, looking at different laptops. She studied a model that was priced for $15,000.  
  
"This looks like the model Heero had. Hm, it even has the built in printer." She picked it up and looked it over.  
  
"Ah, miss, we prefer that you don't touch them unless you plan on buying them." A nearby clerk said. Looking at the clerk with a raised eyebrow, she tossed the laptop from hand to hand, making the clerk almost buckle over with worry. After a moment, she tucked the laptop under her arm and stuffed a thick wad of money into his pocket.  
  
"I'll take this one." She said, striding out of the store, leaving the clerk dumbfounded, peeling off the bar code to keep the alarm from going off.  
  
  
  
Raksha walked out to the food court after an hour of shopping and sat down at a table, setting her many bags down by her feet and pulling out her brand new lap top.   
  
She was in the middle of typing something when she recieved an email. Curious to see who was emailing her, she opened it, and was met with the face of someone very familiar. "Zechs?" She asked, grinning.  
  
"Miss Drusian, it seems you've made a grave error. The papers you gave me were not the correct ones."  
  
"Oh, I beg to differ. They indeed were the correct ones. The ones you deserve, anyway." She could hear a growl coming from the platinum blonde and laughed.  
  
"You do realize that I've already given you 50 million dollars and gotten nothing in return? You won't be making very many deals with other organizations if I inform them your word isn't worth anything."  
  
"Go ahead, it doesn't matter to me, I was thinking about retiring anyway."  
  
"I shall get my money back, and the blueprints, and I will make sure you are the one who gives them to me."  
  
"We'll see about that." She hissed, closing the window. Shaking her head, she started typing again, then slowly stopped. *I can't seem to concentrate anymore.* She sighed, drumming her fingers against the keys lightly. Her mind drifted slowly towards the event that happened in the jewellery store. After a moment, she shook her head again and focused on hacking into the mall security system, smirking when she found the camera system. Seeing something that sparked her curiousity, she clicked on it and watched the camera view. A certian longhaired pilot was standing in a music store, holding something over a Chinese boy's head, laughing as the boy tried to reach the disk.  
  
  
  
"C'mon, Duo!! Give me the disk!!"  
  
"Aww, what's wrong, Wu-bear? Can't you reach? Or are you a little too short?" Wufie growled.  
  
"Duo, you onna!! Give me the disk!!!" Duo laughed and stood on his toes, keeping the disk just out of Wufie's reach. After a moment, he let go of the disk, letting it drop into Wufie's open hand. " 'Bout time, baka." Wufie hissed, glaring at him. Duo just grinned, then slipped some headphones on and started to listen to a demo from one of his favorite songs.   
  
Heero had been leaning against the wall the entire time, watching the fight, and now he was studying the camera on the wall. He rolled his eyes as Duo started singing along to the song he was listening to, then glanced at his watch.  
  
"Hey, guys, we got to go." Wufie started towards the exit, but Heero hung back, watching Duo as he hung the headphones up. "Duo," Heero stopped him in the aisle.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Raksha paid for that right?" Heero said, pointing to the crucifix in his hand.  
  
"Yeah."   
  
"And she was getting an expensive chain, while holding onto a lot of bags?"  
  
"Yes. Heero what are you getting at?"  
  
"Duo, I think Raksha turned in the blueprints, and was starting to spend her 50 million."  
  
"What? Heero, why can't you get off her case? Raksha is not a tratior, she didn't backstab us, and she's not working for Oz."  
  
"What proof do you have that she's innocent?"  
  
"What proof do you have that she's guilty?" Duo retorted. Heero stared at him.  
  
"Let's go." Duo grinned and threw his arm over Heero's shoulder, pulling out an Omae o Korosu out of the Japanese boy.  
  
  
  
Raksha watched the three of them leave the music store.   
  
"Heero's quite smart. A little too smart. He jumps to conclusions too quickly. I guess the "perfect soldier" isn't so perfect after all." She laughed, closed the lap top, then left the mall. 


	5. Suspicions Proved Right

Raksha rode along the offroad on her bike, thinking about the hug she had shared with Duo. She came to a stop by the woods around the lake and got off, walking through the woods until she reached the edge of the water. A makeshift ropebridge had been built lately, and she crossed it, the kitten hiding in her jacket's pocket. When she reached the small island she sat down on the beach and stared out at the mountains on the other side of the lake, sighing. After a few minutes, she looked behind her and thought for a while, studying the land behind her.   
  
Raksha got up and walked a ways into the woods on the island until she came to a pile of plywoods she'd put there a few weeks ago. Grabbing some of the wood, she carried it back to the clearing she'd made and layed them down.  
  
Around an hour later, she had the base built and the wall around a foot high. She was still working on it when a shadow fell over her. Setting her hammer down, she slowly looked up to see a very ugly soldier standing over her.  
  
"My boss wishes to speak with you." She stood up, facing him.  
  
"Then tell him to come here and speak with me."  
  
"No, you are to go to him."  
  
"I'm a little busy here, I'm not going anywhere right now."  
  
"I'm afraid you are mistaken about that." She was about to respond when he grabbed her by the arm. She growled and turned, slamming her elbow into his waist, causing him to fall. She instantly turned and punched the next offender coming at her in the jaw. He stumbled backwards, then swung at her. Ducking, she kneed him in the gut and pushed him over. She jumped as she heard something click, then gasped when something hit her in the back of the neck. She grew dizzy, then collapsed, right into the soldier's arms.   
  
  
Raksha woke up an hour later and groaned as her neck and head started to throb hard.  
  
"Owww... my head...." She tried to move her arms, then realized they were shackled above her against the wall and she was standing. "That explains why my arms are hurting." She muttered, then looked up suddenly as she heard footsteps heading towards the room she was in. A glare surfaced on her face when she saw Zechs walk in. "I should have known you were the one who sent for me." she muttered.  
  
"Ahh, Raksha. We finally meet in person. You know, that computer screen doesn't do your face justice. You're alot prettier in person." Raksha growled at him and pulled at the restraints on her arm. "Now, just relax, Raksha. And tell me where the blueprints are." She looked away from him, closing her eyes. "Fine. You'll come around eventually. In the meantime, I'll just leave you here with these nice guards, and be back later." She jerked her head up and watched with panicked emarald eyes as the blonde left her with the guards. She struggled against the bonds as the guards advanced on her, disgusting grins on their hideous faces.  
  
  
  
Duo sat on his bed, staring at the crucifix, then taking off the one around his neck that Father Maxwell had given him.  
  
"I don't want to give away this cross that Raksha gave to me." He said quietly, running the chain through his fingers, then slipping on the crucifix that Raksha bought him. "Instead, I'll give Father Maxwell and Sister Helen the one they gave me. But I'll keep the chain so I'll still have a piece of it." He pulled the crucifix off and dug into a box he had on his desk, pulling out a gold chain and slipping the cross onto it. Duo then put the other chain into the box.   
  
Duo then stood up and walked outside, getting on his bike.   
  
"Duo? Where are you going?" Wufie asked.  
  
"For a ride." Duo said before leaving.  
  
  
  
Duo was driving on a road when he spotted someone's bike on the side of the road. Pulling to a stop, he realized it was Raksha's and got off. "She must be starting to work on her cabin."  
  
When he got to the lake, he crossed the bridge and looked around the island. The cabin was just starting to take shape, and he spotted her hammer laying on the ground. The dirt was loosened, as if there had been a struggle. Her tools were scattered everywhere, as if she'd left in a hurry, or was interrupted. "Something's wrong here." He looked down at a small cry and saw the kitten curling around his boots. Picking it up, he loked around the island, then saw something that made his blood freeze. Raksha's chain necklace was laying on the ground. Bending down, he picked up the thin chain and saw it was snapped. He glanced at the kitten in his arms, who was thoroughly spooked. "What happened?"  
  
  
  
Raksha woke up from the uneasy sleep she'd fallen into, trying not to move very much, as it hurt too much. The guards had beaten and whipped her rather hard, and a bad cut on her side was making breathing difficult.  
  
" 'Bout time you woke up." A guard snapped, striking her across the face with a gun. She spit out a spray of blood, running her tongue over her teeth.   
  
"Now now. Be nice. I think she's been through enough already." A low voice said. She closed her eyes and groaned. *I really don't need this right now.* She opened her eyes as two gentle fingers lifted her chin up so she was staring into ice blue eyes. "Sleep well?"  
  
"Why the hell do you care?"  
  
"Is that any way to talk to someone that just kept you from a severe beating?" She stared at him through narrowed eyes, jumping in surprise when she felt a finger wipe away a line of blood running from her mouth.  
  
"Just leave me alone, Zechs."  
  
"Not until you give me those blueprints." When she didn't say anything, he sighed and pulled away, walking towards the door. "Well, it seems you're going to need a little motivation." Raksha watched him call over a guard standing by the door and say something quietly to him. The man nodded and walked away, and Zechs grinned at her. She did not like the smile at all. "Tell me, Raksha, do you have any families on any of the colonies?"  
  
"No." She said, an almost depressed tone in her voice.  
  
"So it wouldn't matter to you if L2 was destroyed? No one important to you lives there?"  
  
"No, besides, you wouldn't blow up one of the colonies; too many people would end up putting a nice prize on your head." He laughed.   
  
"Who said anything about blowing it up? I was thinking more along the lines of-"  
  
"I don't care WHAT you do!! I'm not going to betray Duo and the others! No matter what the price! Why don't you just get the blueprints yourself!?" The noble stared at her for a moment.  
  
"That's not a bad idea." She blinked, gasped when she realized what he was saying and struggled against her bonds, straining to reach him.  
  
"You can't!! They'll think that I handed the blueprints over to you!!!" Zechs just shook his head.  
  
"If you were worried about what they think, then you shouldn't have accepted the mission in the first place."  
  
"Zechs!! Get BACK here!" She yelled to his back as he walked out of the room. Raksha yanked at the bonds again. "Let me GO!! ZECHS!! Don't you DARE hack into Heero's computer!! ZEEEECHHHSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She struggled to get loose, oblivious to the guards advancing in on her.   
  
  
~A few days later~  
  
  
Duo battled against several Leos, getting annoyed. *This is getting way too monotonous.* Just then, Wufie came up on the screen.  
  
"Duo!! You'll never believe what I just saw."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Another gundam." Duo leaned forward, gripping the arms of his seat.  
  
"Raksha?"  
  
"No. And you're not going to like how it's been designed." A second screen came up, and he saw the gundam. Duo almost choked.  
  
"That gundam has my sythe!!"  
  
"And my dragon claw, Trowa's machine gun arm, Heero's beam cannon and Quatre's double blades. It's a combination of all our gundams."  
  
"But that means..." Wufie nodded.  
  
"Someone gave Oz the blueprints to our gundams. and I'll give you one guess of who it was."  
  
"No, no she couldn't have. She..She didn't..." Duo trailed off as Zechs came up on his screen.  
  
"What do you think of my newest mobile suit, Maxwell?" The platinum blonde on the screen said to him in a mocking tone.   
  
"Marquise, that gundam looks a little familiar."  
  
"It should, since I blended all five blueprints from your gundams to make it." Duo's blood ran cold. *I can't believe she did it. She actually did it.* Duo was so stunned that it didn't register in his mind when his gundam got hit by a machine gun.The armor wasn't damaged very much, but the force from the blow knocked him over. Before the others could get to him, some Oz Leos had grabbed hold of his gundam and left, leaving the others to fight off the remaining Oz troops.  
  
  
  
Duo stumbled through the corridors as Oz soldiers shoved him towards a room that was on the end of the hall by itself. They gave him one last shove and slammed the door shut as he finally entered the room. Dusting himself off, he looked up to see someone who made his eyes fill with hatred. Zechs turned to him, giving him view of a woman shackled to the wall, her flaming red hair hanging in her face. From the way she was panting, he had been kissing her, and Duo had interrupted. "Ah, Maxwell. They told me you were on your way, but I expected us to be finished before you arrived." The redhead turned away from them at this comment, her long hair shielding most of her face. But Duo was still able to spot several tears running down her face.  
  
Duo got up and faced Zechs, wishing he could wipe off that smug look the man in front of him had in place as guards locked his wrists to the walls.  
  
"So why haven't you killed me yet, Marquise?" Duo asked quietly. The redheaded woman chained to the wall looked up at him, and his suspicions were confirmed; Raksha was the one locked against the cement wall.   
  
"I believe you know Raksha Druisan?" Zechs asked, ignoring Duo's question.  
  
"We've met." Duo said, bitterness in his voice. Raksha was surprised. Duo almost never got mad; she'd really screwed up this time. *Oh no. He thinks I gave Zechs the blueprints!* "But I'm starting to regret it." His words deeply wounded her.  
  
"Duo! I didn't give him the blueprints!! He hacked into Heero's laptop and stole them! I didn't betray you!! I swear!!" Duo's expression didn't change.  
  
"And where did he get Heero's email address? Which he used to send us that fake mission." She was about to respond, but closed her eyes and hung her head again. "I thought so."   
  
"Well, Maxwell, what do you suggest we do with Miss Druisan?"  
  
"Doesn't matter to me." Raksha looked up at this statement and panicked. "It's no concern of mine what you do with a traitor." Raksha looked as though he had just slammed a dagger into her heart. He might as well have; it would hurt less then what he was saying right now.  
  
"Duo!! I'm not a traitor!!" She yelled as Zechs unlocked her wrists and steered her towards the door. "Duo, you KNOW I didn't, you know I would never do that!! I may be cold, but I'm not heartless!! DUO!!" The long haired pilot listened to her cries, then winced as he heard a loud crack, then a thud.  
  
Zechs leaned back into the room.  
  
"I'll be seeing you later on, Maxwell." Duo just growled at him, ignoring the guards as they chained him to the wall.  
  
A few hours later, Duo looked up at the sound of explosions and yells, flinching slightly when his door was blown open. As he expected, Heero stood on the other side, but to his surprise, wasn't aiming a gun at him. Instead, he held a leather pouch in his hand, and approached Duo, opening the pouch and starting to work on the manacles around Duo's wrists.  
  
They made their way down the hall, blasting through lines of men, and stopped in front of another cell. Duo had a feeling he knew who was inside, and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw Raksha laying on the cot. She bolted up as they entered the room, and her pupils dialated when she realized why they were here.  
  
"You've come to kill me, Heero Yuy? Like the traitor you see me as?" Heero just raised his gun and aimed it at her in responce. Duo watched all of this with tension inside of him. He desparetely wanted to stop Heero; he was convinced Raksha was a traitor, but he wanted to get out of the Oz base.   
  
Then, what happened next was a blur to Duo. He saw Raksha whip a gun out from beneath her pillow and aim it at Duo, firing it; Heero instantly pulled the trigger on his gun, hitting Raksha just below the collar bone. Raksha's bullet grazed past Duo's head, slicing a few hairs off. Duo stood there, staring at Raksha with sad eyes as she gripped her wound, coughing hard. She managed to lift a hand and point to something behind Heero and Duo, then collapsed against the wall in a fashion that had Duo convinced she was dead. Duo took in a shuddering breath, then turned and looked behind him, and what he saw made him fall to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes: An Oz soldier, dead from Raksha's bullet, gun in his had, the gun aimed right at Duo.   
  
  
  
A/N: oh, i am so mean!!! *laughs evilly.* You didn't really think i would let me Duo get shot, would you? I'm sorry for taking so long, but I've had writer's block for i don't know how long. But i started to listen to "I love you...I'll kill you" By enigma, and thought of this. *glomps Duo hard* tell me what ya think!!!! 


End file.
